B.C. Today – Daily Report July 26, 2019

Quotation of the day

“All this blaming isn’t helping British Columbian families, and ​ the communities we all call home.” ​

B.C. Conservative Party Leader Trevor Bolin says the NDP and Liberals need to stop blaming ​ ​ ​ each other for the current crisis in the forestry sector and get to work on solutions. ​

Today in B.C.

The House is adjourned for the summer recess.

The summer break is officially in full swing: the government has no public events scheduled for today or over the weekend.

Upcoming events

July 29 at 5:45 p.m. – Kitimat ​

Liberal Party Leader Andrew Wilkinson and his caucus will join MLA Ellis Ross (Skeena) for ​ ​ ​ ​ an evening meet and greet at the Hirsch Creek Golf and Winter Club.

Topics of conversation

● Premier John Horgan visited the Big Bar landslide on the Fraser River earlier this week, ​ ​ ​ ​ where federal and provincial efforts to help spawning salmon get around the slide are underway. The premier took a helicopter tour of the area and visited the incident command centre in Lillooet. "The rock scalers, scientists, First Nations and many others ​ who are working tirelessly to help Fraser salmon over the Big Bar slide are doing an extraordinary job," Horgan said in a statement. "But it will be at least a week before they'll know if they've been successful." ○ Crews have been working since June 30 to stabilize the slide site and open a passage for the fish to reach spawning grounds higher up the river. Multiple methods — including fish ladders and fish wheels — are being considered. Small numbers of salmon can be moved in tanks via helicopter and truck, but better solutions are needed to accommodate the tens of thousands of chinook and ​ sockeye that are expected to arrive at the site in the coming weeks.

● B.C. Conservative Party Leader Trevor Bolin released an open letter addressed to ​ ​ ​ ​ Premier Horgan yesterday, calling on him to put politics aside in order to save B.C.’s ​ forestry industry. “Andrew Wilkinson and the B.C. Liberals are blaming you and The ​ ​ NDP, The NDP are blaming years of poor management leftover from the B.C. Liberals… but all this blaming isn’t helping British Columbian families,” Bolin wrote. “I firmly believe the solution to this devastating downturn can be found through communication and working together as one.” ○ Bolin proposes that a committee — consisting of Horgan, Forests Minister Doug ​ Donaldson, the B.C. Forestry Council, mayors from communities affected by mill ​ closures and curtailments, and the president of each affected mill — be formed to figure out how to deal with the “devastating downturn.”

● Federal E-Day could be rescheduled. A judge has ordered Elections Canada to reconsider whether polling day should be moved from October 21, the legal deadline, because it conflicts with a Jewish holiday. Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, ​ ​ ​ ​ who previously decided against changing the date under a short timeline, will have to take a second look and issue a new decision by August 1. The judge said his decision must adequately balance the Charter rights of affected voters and election law. ○ Perrault can’t change Election Day — he can only make recommendations to cabinet. ○ B’nai Brith Canada and Chani Aryeh-Bain, the federal Conservative candidate in ​ ​ Eglinton—Lawrence who brought forward the legal challenge, have suggested holding the vote on October 28. ○ The B.C. legislature is currently scheduled to resume sitting on October 7.

● NDP MP Murray Rankin (Victoria) is not running for re-election and has been appointed ​ ​ ​ to a four-year term as head of the new National Security and Intelligence Review ​ ​ Agency, which will oversee Canada’s security and intelligence agencies. Rankin plans to step down as MP to take on his new role on September 1. ○ Earlier this year, the B.C. government appointed Rankin to guide the province during to government-to-government negotiations on a new reconciliation agreement with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.

● The Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Council voted yesterday to proceed with a full business case for a SkyTrain extension in Surrey. The $1.6-billion project would extend the Expo ​ ​ Line by seven kilometres from its King George Station terminus to 166th Street in the Fleetwood area, adding four new stations. The mayors voted to have the business plan ready by 2020. ○ For now, a proposal to extend the SkyTrain all the way to Langley will wait for further funds.

● Project Reconciliation has submitted a preliminary proposal to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline, CBC reports, despite the fact that Ottawa is not yet accepting bids for the ​ ​ expansion project. “This is a pivotal moment for Indigenous peoples,” Delbert Wapass, ​ ​ ​ founder of the Indigenous consortium, said of the submission. “If we get it right, we can build strong, Indigenous economies to give our communities the resources they need to thrive. We look forward to continuing discussions with the government over the coming months."

● A B.C. Hydro survey, conducted between June 20 and 25, found that office air ​ ​ conditioners bring cooler temperatures but also lead to discomfort and even arguments among colleagues. One quarter of the study’s 500 participants said the temperature in their office has led to disagreements with fellow employees; 60 per cent — most of whom were women — said office temperatures are so cold they interfere with work and blankets or extra layers are needed to be comfortable and productive. ○ The Crown corporation said the study data supports existing research which says office controlled climate systems are often designed around male metabolic rates. Modern HVAC systems were pioneered in the 1950s when employees were more likely to be men in suits. ○ The amount of electricity used to power air conditioners in offices and commercial buildings has increased in B.C. by nearly one-third since 2006.

News briefs - Governmental

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

The ministry has launched a public consultation — consisting of an online survey and a ​ consultation paper — on the best way to reduce plastic waste in the province. ​

Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman said the government ​ ​ wants to “take action” to reduce single-use plastic items, in particular, like water bottles and plastic bags, and will consider a ban on single-use packaging.

There is also a push to require producers to take responsibility for recycling of their plastic products and to expand the deposit-refund system to cover all beverage containers.

The consultation will run until September 18.

Ministry of Health As a result of the ministry’s Measles Immunization Catch-Up Program, which ran from April 1 to ​ ​ June 30, more than 37,500 school-age children in the province have been recorded as fully immunized against measles.

The campaign involved immunization record reconciliation efforts and the administration of nearly 29,000 doses of the measles vaccine.

The ministry will continue its efforts to help parents get their children up to date on immunization for measles and other communicable diseases through the summer as it moves toward implementing mandatory reporting of immunization status for all students in the province. ​

Ministry of Finance The Ambulance Paramedics and Ambulance Dispatchers Bargaining Association — whose 4,500 members are represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 873 — has reached an agreement in principle with the Health Employers Association of British Columbia (HEABC).

Further details about the potential new employment agreement will be made available once the ratification process is complete, according to the finance ministry. Paramedics and ambulance ​ ​ dispatchers are employees of BC Emergency Health Services, which is part of the Provincial Health Services Authority.

Just over 226,000 public sector employees are now covered by tentative or ratified agreements as public sector employment contract negotiations continue.

Funding announcements

● Two new affordable rental buildings opened in Quesnel this week, adding 68 units of ​ ​ affordable housing to the city. The four-storey Dakelh & Quesnel Community Housing ​

Society development features 38 units for Indigenous seniors and families — including ​ 11 accessible units for Indigenous Elders, as well as seniors and families. The Quesnel ​ Lions Housing Society is operating the other development, which includes 30 ​ one-bedroom units designed for seniors. ○ Ottawa and Victoria jointly contributed about $1.6 million to the Dakelh development. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation also provided ​ ​ $25,000 in seed funding, and the province contributed a $5.5-million grant. ○ The Lions project benefited from $307,000 in joint funding from the federal and provincial governments. B.C.’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing also ​ ​ provided a $4.8-million grant, as well as interim construction financing of $1.6 million.

● The Ministry of Children and Family Development is providing $492,585 under its ​ ​ ​ ​ Childcare B.C. New Spaces Fund to help School District 92 create the Nass Child ​ ​ ​ ​ Care Centre, which will provide 32 new licensed child care spaces: 12 for infants and ​ toddlers and 20 for children aged 30 months to school age. The school district will operate the centre, which is expected to open in September.

● Seven Indigenous groups in B.C. — and 14 more around the country — will share $5.8 ​ million from Transport Canada to support “longer-term Indigenous participation in ​ ​ ​ ​ engagement activities” related to Oceans Protection Plan initiatives and Canada's marine safety system.

● The Port of Nanaimo will expand its Duke Point Terminal with $46.2 million from ​ ​ ​ ​ Transport Canada. The funding will be used to expand the existing wharf and storage ​ ​ area; upgrade drainage, sewer, electrical, water and security systems; build a new warehouse, administration and maintenance building, and truck gate; and replace the facility’s existing crane with two 24-metre cranes.

● Nearly $1.3 million from Transport Canada’s Abandoned Boats Program will support ​ ​ ​ ​ the removal of 34 boats abandoned in the Fraser River, Victoria Harbour and Gerrans ​ ​ Bay. Lobbyist registrations

If you are looking for further information on any lobbying registry, it is all public and easily searchable here. ​ ​

Consultants who registered as lobbyists from July 19, 2019 – July 25, 2019

● Matt Williamson and Nicole Brassard, Global Public Affairs ​ ​

o Clients: Amazon Web Services ​

● Matt Williamson, Global Public Affairs ​ ​ o Clients: Amazon Web Services; BC Craft Brewers Guild; PETRONAS ​ Energy Canada Limited

● Alex Shiff, Navigator Ltd. ​ ​ o Clients: Airbnb Canada Inc. ​

● Nicola Hill, Earnscliffe Strategy Group ​ ​ o Clients: Lunapads International Products Ltd. ​

● Jennifer Anthony, Fleishman-Hillard Canada Inc. ​ ​ o Clients: Chevron Canada Limited; Gilead Sciences Canada, Inc. ​

Organizations that registered in-house lobbyists from July 19, 2019 – July 25, 2019

● BC Civil Liberties Association ● Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. ● Vancouver Regional Construction Association ● GCT Global Container Terminals Inc.